


Come Back for Me

by CLLR



Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Funeral, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possible Character Death, Trauma, Violence, injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2019-11-15 02:42:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18065042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CLLR/pseuds/CLLR
Summary: It's been almost a year since Benji Dunn went missing. He is thought to be dead by everyone, including Ethan. But when he gets a suspicious phone call, Ethan springs into action.





	1. The Funeral

Standing in front of the empty casket, Ethan felt helpless for the first time in his life. It was decorated with a combination of medals and silly pins that Benji loved to collect. The thought made him smile, his eyes watery. He looked up, willing away the tears, before turning his back to the casket, and facing his friends. 

“He-” Ethan’s voice broke, and he cleared his throat, embarrassed, before continuing. “He was a good man. His life saved thousands.” He wanted to say more, but stopped himself, taking his place beside his friends. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Luther, who gave him a small nod. Ethan nodded back, before returning his attention to the next speaker.

Several more people spoke, friends, coworkers, all saying good things. Soon, the casket was in the ground, and everyone was slowly filing out of the graveyard. Ethan, Luther and Will stayed behind, at Ethan’s request. He stood over the grave, mumbling to himself for a few moments, while his two friends watched him carefully. He ran his hand through his hair, feeling like screaming.

“Ethan, you can’t blame yourself. You had to finish your mission. You said it yourself, it was one life for thousands.” Will spoke, breaking a long silence. Ethan winced at his words, turning to face him.

“God damn it, he was my friend! This didn’t have to happen. If he had just left when the alarm sounded, then they wouldn’t have found him. I could have been there.” Ethan stopped, taking a deep breath, before glaring at Will, and walking over to his car, Luther following behind.

“Ethan. Ethan! You’re in no condition to drive. Give me the keys.” Luther pulled him away from the driver’s side door. Ethan opened his mouth to argue but ended up giving him the keys instead, making his way over to the passenger side. Luther started up the car, pulling out of the lot, and onto the mostly empty road. 

“Please do not tell me Will is following us.” Ethan sighed, looking in the rearview mirror.

“‘Fraid so. Should we try to lose him?” Luther asked. Ethan shook his head, waving him on tiredly.

“There’s no point. He probably has a tracker on us somehow. Just take me to the headquarters please.” Ethan slinked down in his seat slightly, pulling his phone out to check the time. 

“No way. You need to go home for the day. You can come back tomorrow, but there’s no way you can work with a clear head right now.” Luther shushed his protests, and Ethan huffed but stayed quiet the rest of the car ride.

“I’ll be checking up on you, so don’t do anything stupid,” Luther said before driving away. Ethan stood outside his building, watching the car turn a corner. He looked around, quickly spotting WIll, sitting in a car a block and half down from him. Ethan shook his head, upset, before turning to enter the building, directing a sun glare right into Will’s eye with the door.

He entered into his apartment, shrugging off his jacket, and taking a look around. Clean, empty except for basic furniture. As was his life. He leaned on the kitchen counter, rubbing his face, suddenly exhausted. Pulling out his phone again, he scrolled through his notifications, all sympathy texts, with about a dozen missed calls. Sighing, he plugged it into a charger, heading for the bathroom. He desperately needed a hot shower, he’d been out in the sticky heat for hours. Peeling off his clothes, he turned on the shower water, watching the steam rise from the steady streams. 

He sat in the water for a few moments, just thinking about him. Trying to erase the bad thoughts with memories of Benji on missions. Of his smile, his laugh. The looks he always gave him. Suddenly, his phone rang. He hurried out to answer it, wrapping a towel around his waist.  
He took a deep breath before answering.  
“Hello, who’s this?” He asked, trying to sound normal. There was no response, but he could hear distant voices. He turned up his phone volume, trying to hear what they were saying when suddenly, there was a bang, and the call was cut off.

Ethan immediately dialed Luther’s number, trying to steady his breathing. 

“Ethan, this better not be something stupid,” Luther warned when he picked up. Ethan chuckled dryly.  
“I need a number traced.” His voice was steady, yet he could tell Luther knew something was wrong.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Luther said before hanging up. Ethan set the phone down, an uneasy feeling taking over. He sat down at the counter, trying to organize his thoughts. He didn’t recognize any voices, and he couldn't hear what they were saying. It seemed like an accident. But how would they have gotten his number? And why did it get cut off so suddenly? It was like the phone was broken, not just hung up. A thought jumped to the front, and Ethan couldn’t shake it.  
What if it was Benji, trying to signal that he was alive? It seems absurd, but he’s smart, so if he got an opportunity to send out a message of any kind, he would take it. But he’s been gone for months, almost a year. It’s just so unlikely that he would still be alive. And even if it was him that signaled, it seems as though he got caught. He could be dead for real now then. 

Ethan couldn’t stop these calculations and thoughts and theories. He heard a knocking at his door and quickly went to let in his friend. Luther lugged in his computer, setting up at the same counter Ethan was just at. Wordlessly, Ethan handed him his phone, and Luther got to work.  
After several minutes of silence, Ethan finally spoke up. “Luther, what if- what if it’s him?” Ethan asked.

“Do you think it is?” He asked. Ethan slowly nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. ”Then, we use this trace, and we go and find him. I trust you, and your instinct, Ethan. It looks like we have an impromptu vacation to report to the IMF.” Luther said, flipping around the screen to show Ethan the coordinates. Ethan gave him a thankful smile, before getting on his phone to call WIll.

 

Outside, Will picked up his phone, answering it quickly. “Whatever you’re planning, you know I can’t approve. I’ll mark you down for vacation, but I can’t help you. You and Luther are on your own.” He didn’t let Ethan get a word in, hanging up and pulling away from his spot. 

“Well, we’re good to go,” Ethan said, slipping his phone into his pocket. “Let’s get our tickets.”


	2. Finding Benji

Several hours later, Ethan and Luther were walking the streets of London. 

 

“Okay, we’re about a mile away from where the call was placed. Go over the plan again.” Luther said, sliding into a seat outside a cafe. 

“Luther, we don’t have time for this,” Ethan said, gesturing to keep walking.

“Nope. I want to make sure you know exactly what the plan is. We don’t have backup for this Ethan. You mess up, you’re screwed. Now, what’s the plan?” Luther asked, leaning back in his chair. Ethan sighed and took the seat in front of him.

“We find the source of the call. You secure the entrance, I go in and scout. If I find Benji, I get him and get out. I don’t, I get out.” Luther nodded when he finished.

“Good. Now let’s go.” Luther led the way, and soon they found themselves in front of a small store. Ethan looked to Luther, who nodded and took his place by the entrance, gun drawn. Ethan drew him, and pushed open the door, entering slowly. There were a few patrons loitering around what appeared to be a cafe of some sort. He quickly put in his back and waved nervously to a few of the staring customers. He looked around, stepping up to the counter.

“Have you seen my friend? He’s tall, kind of skinny, maybe a beard?” Ethan asked the barista quietly. 

“I’m sorry, I haven’t seen anyone like that. Let me ask my manager, he’s here more than me.” The girl said and disappeared into the back.

“Ethan, anything?” Luther’s voice startled him, drawing the attention of another patron. He smiled and whispered back to his friend.

“No, it’s just a coffee shop. The barista says she hasn’t seen him, but she’s gone off to ask someone else.” He reported. He heard the barista returning, talking to someone, and he quickly straightened up, putting a smile on.

She came out, the manager in tow. Ethan locked eyes with him, and the man stopped in his tracks.

“Shelly, get out everyone out and lock the doors please.” The man said, not taking his eyes off Ethan.

“Luther, we might have a problem,” Ethan said, drawing his gun again. He felt a presence behind him and turned, finger on his trigger.

“Yeah, I noticed,” Luther said, walking towards the counter. The man watched both of them carefully, eyes occasionally darting to the young barista who was working on getting everyone out.

“Who are you? Do you know where Benji is?” Ethan asked, inching closer.

“You don’t need to worry about who I am, Mr. Hunt. Though I must say, it’s quite strange that it took you a year to get this far.” The man said calmly.

“Where is he?!” Ethan struggled to keep calm. Luther put himself in between the two, watching the man carefully as he spoke to Ethan.

“Hey man, just, let’s talk to him. Let me talk to him, actually.” Luther suggested. Ethan nodded, but still kept his gun pointed at the man.

“Okay man, look. We’re just here to collect our friend. We don’t want any trouble. Have you seen him or not?” Luther said calmly. The man smiled at him.

“Yes, actually. Would you like to see him?” The man said, amusement in his voice. Luther looked back at Ethan, who nodded.

“Where is he?”

An hour later they pulled up in front of a rundown hotel, just outside the city. Ethan felt admittedly nervous and looked to Luther for support. However, Luther was already exiting the car, waiting for Ethan to do the same.

“Are you ready?” Luther asked as they entered the building.

“Yeah” Ethan tried to shake off his nerves as they searched for the room number the man gave them.

“Here it is, 207.” Luther knocked loudly, and they both waited in silence for a response. After a few moments, he knocked again.

“Benji?” Ethan called through the door. They heard a slight shuffle, and then silence again. Ethan’s heart began to race.

“Luther-” He began, but he was already ahead of him. He crashed into the door, knocking it open. They barreled inside, guns up. 

“Benji?” Ethan called out again, scanning each room. He heard a thump and raced towards the sound.   
The bathroom. He kicked open the door, and his heart broke at what he found.

Benji, sat in the bathtub, looking an inch away from death. Deathly thin and covered in cuts bruises and welts, he was awake but barely.

“Benji, oh my god.” Ethan knelt beside the tub, checking for any bleeding or broken bones. As he felt his leg, he let out a squeaky protest, making Ethan's heart break even more.

“Don’t worry Benji, we’re gonna get you home. Luther!! Luther, he’s in here!” He called out.

No response. Ethan cursed and looked at Benji.

“Benji, I’ll be right back. I promise. We’re gonna get you home.” He promised. Benji gave a shaky nod, before closing his eyes again.

“Luther!” Ethan called, scanning the living room again. 

“Ethan, grab Benji, we gotta go!” He heard him call back. It sounded like it was coming from the hallway. Ethan raced back into the bathroom and tried to wake Benji up.

When he wouldn’t, Ethan winced and scooped him up carefully. “Sorry about this, Benji.” He said, before darting out into the hallway. He saw Luther at the corner, gun drawn, waiting for something.

“That guy, he has people surrounding the entrance. We can maybe break through, or go out the fire escape.” Luther called out. Ethan thought for a second, before racing in the opposite direction, to the nearest window. It wasn’t a long jump, but he was worried about Benji getting hurt even worse.

He heard Luther yelling, and turned around to see three men turn the corner, shooting at them. Luther caught up to Ethan and looked down at Benji.

“We have no choice, man.” He said. Ethan nodded, and Luther kicked the glass, breaking it quickly. The men were almost on them, and Luther pulled Ethan’s gun out of his holster and resumed firing back at them. He took out one, but the other two were barreling closer, too fast to shoot.

“You gotta go,” Luther warned. Ethan took a deep breath, cradled Benji closer, and jumped.


	3. Chapter 3

As Ethan hit the ground, he tightened his grip on Benji, wincing at the impact. He stood up, adjusting the man in his arms, before looking for an escape route. 

“Now, Mr. Hunt, did you really think you could get away with the prize that easily?” A voice said from behind him. He whipped around, reaching for his gun- which Luther had taken. Ethan cursed to himself, scanning the area for anything he could use.

“No need to get violent, Mr. Hunt. We’re just requesting a payment, in exchange for your dear friend.” The man said calmly, stepping closer to Ethan.

“What do you want then?” Ethan asked, eyeing the man.

“Well, normally, money would be my go to, but I think I need something a little better for such a precious prize.” He gave Ethan a wry smile.

“You want me. In place of him.” Ethan realized.’

“You are a smart one! So, what do you say? I mean, it’s not as if you have much choice. Either you for him willingly, or both of you if you refuse.” The man stepped closer to Ethan, peering down at Benji, who was still out cold.

“Poor thing. Should really get to the hospital, if you ask me.” He said, his tone sarcastic. Ethan gritted his teeth, looking back up at the window. He couldn’t see Luther. He was on his own for now.

“Okay. Deal. But, we take him back to the U.S. And I drop him off at a hospital.” Ethan held Benji tighter as he said this. 

The man looked at Ethan curiously, watching him tighten his grip on his friend. “Deal, my friend. Now-” He didn’t get to finish, as Luther came round the corner, firing rapidly at him. One hit his leg, and he went down, hard, crying out in pain. Ethan stood there, shocked for a moment, before Luther was beside him, trying to pull him along.

“What the hell, Luther? Where did you go?” Ethan asked as they ran. 

“I’m not crazy like you, Ethan, I wasn’t going to jump out the damn window!” Luther said, chuckling. “Now, where to?” 

 

Ethan followed closely behind the doctors as they took Benji into surgery. They had already tried to stop him, but Ethan refused to leave Benji by himself, so they allowed him to wait outside the operating theatre.   
A couple of hours later, they had Benji stitched up, and in a private room. Ethan was there, waiting in a chair by a window when Luther and Will walked in.

“How is he?” Luther asked. 

“They got him all stitched up. His leg was broken in three places, and he had some pretty bad head trauma, but they said he’ll make it. They have him on some pretty intense pain meds right now.” Ethan said, sitting up in his chair.

“It’s amazing that he survived for so long,” Will said, standing beside his bed.

“He can handle himself. He’s capable. He wouldn’t be a field agent if he couldn’t” Ethan snapped.  
‘  
“I didn’t mean-” Will set his hand on top of Benji’s arm, about to defend himself, when Benji shot up, screaming.

“Don’t touch me!” Benji shrieked, his arms snapping out, trying to hit Will.

“Benji! Benji, calm down!” Ethan was at his side in a second, trying to hold his arms down.   
“Ethan?” Benji seemed to calm down, slumping back into his bed.

“Yeah, Benji, it’s me. You’re in a hospital, it the states. I’m here, Luther is here, Will is here.” Ethan said, trying to keep his voice calm and soothing. It seemed to have worked, as Benji stopped struggling, and looked around the room at his friends.

“You guys found me?” He asked quietly.

“Yeah. We tracked the phone you called Ethan from. Smart move, Benji.” Luther said, smiling at him.

“Yeah, it was.” Benji agreed, smiling back.

“Benji, we, I,” Ethan took a deep breath. “I am so sorry. We thought you were dead. You’d been gone so long, and we couldn’t find you, and we held a funeral.” Ethan rubbed at his face.

“Ethan, I understand. I know how this job works. For all you know, I could have died at the fire. It makes sense you stopped looking after so many months of no signs.” Benji sat up farther in bed, looking at Ethan sadly.

“Benji-” Ethan started, and then a couple of nurses walked in, and everyone stepped away from the bedside to allow them to work.

“Um, hello?” Benji said, confusion in his eyes.

“Hello, Mr. Dunn. We’re just here to check on your I.Vs and dress your injuries if that’s okay?” The first nurse said sweetly. She didn’t wait for a response, taking Benji’s shirt and lifting it up, revealing a large bandage covering his abdomen.

As she went to remove the bandage, Benji began to panic again.

“Don’t- Don’t touch me, please don’t touch me! I don’t know- don’t touch me” He roughly pushed the nurse away, trying to stand up again. The second nurse made a call on the room's phone as Ethan pushed Benji back down on the bed.

“Benji, please, they’re just trying to help. They have to check your injuries.” Ethan finally got him back down in the bed, as a couple of male nurses came in.

“He’s okay, it’s okay. I’m sorry about that, miss.” Ethan stood in front of the nurses, as Luther and Will got Benji laid down again.

“Sir, I’m sorry but we’re going to have to sedate him to treat him right now. We can’t have him attacking nurses.” The second nurse said. Ethan hesitated, but eventually nodded, stepping out of the way. She injected a small amount of sedative into his I.V. as Ethan watched.

Benji quickly began to fall asleep again. “Ethan, please stay here.” He asked, before closing his eyes. Ethan looked at the nurses, who nodded their okay, before pulling a chair up to the bedside and taking his friend's hand.

“Do you want us to stay Ethan?” Luther asked, watching the nurse work.

“No, you guys should go home, get some sleep. I’m gonna stay.” Ethan said, squeezing Benji’s hand.

“Okay. Just, make sure you rest too, okay?” Luther requested. Ethan gave him a small nod. Satisfied, He left, leaving Will behind.

“I’m sorry, Ethan. About what I said before.” Will said, before ducking out of the room. Ethan scoffed, before returning his attention to the man before him. The bruises on his face had gotten darker, standing out heavily against his pale skin. Ethan’s heart hurt looking at him.

“Don’t worry Benji, you’re gonna survive this. You’ll be back at the IMF in no time.” He whispered.  
Back in London, Robert Withim limped out of the ally, hailing a taxi. Ethan Hunt had chosen the wrong side of the deal.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a short update to prove that I'm not dead! Sorry about that long hiatus, I had some illnesses and of course college, and didn't have time for writing. But I'm back! Updates are gonna be pretty sporadic since I'm still in college,and now I have work but I'm going to try and keep this going!

Benji slowly opened his eyes, trying to blink away the grogginess. He noticed it was dark, and that his hand was very warm. Looking down, he saw another hand wrapped around his. His heart started beating faster in panic, setting off the alarm. In no time 2 nurses were in his room, trying to calm him down.  
“Benji, it was just me, I swear.” Ethan was forced back by the nurses as they gave Benji sips of water and rechecked his vitals.   
“I’m okay, really, please-“ Benji was protesting as they darted around checking everything. Eventually, they finally left, leaving Benji and Ethan alone once more.  
“Sorry about that.” Benji smiled, causing Ethan to chuckle.  
“I’m sure you’re not used to having so many girls taking care of you huh?” This caused them both to start laughing hard, until a nurse came and shushed them.   
“It’s 3 am, boys, keep it down.” He said, before shutting the door.  
“How are you feeling Benji?” Ethan asked once they calmed down.  
“Like I just spent the last year of my life getting chewed up and spit out. Other than that, fine.” He joked. Ethan smiled sadly, taking his seat beside the bed again.  
“I’m so sorry Benji.” Ethan said, grabbing his hand.  
“Ethan, you thought I was dead. This is in no way your fault. I got myself into this mess, and of course, you saved me from it.” Benji sat up a little further, looking Ethan in the eyes. “I owe you my life.”   
“Benji, you would have done the same for me. We’re teammates, and friends. I would never leave you behind, and I won’t, ever again. That is, if you ever want to return to the IMF.” Ethan thought about Benji’s desk, how empty the office had seemed.  
“Of course I’m going to come back. I might not be the great Ethan Hunt but I love my job, and I’m good at it. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else at this point.” He said truthfully. “Speaking of that, is there any word on how long before I can leave this place? I’m tired of sitting around already.” He complained.  
Ethan laughed “Well, you have some pretty nasty injuries, so they’re probably gonna keep you here for at least a couple weeks. But the team will be here as often as we can be, so hopefully you don’t get too bored.”  
“I couldn’t be bored with you, Ethan.” They smiled at each other for few moments, before a yawn escaped Benji. “I think I still have some sedative in my system.” He joked.  
“Get some sleep Benji. I’ll be here when you wake up again.” Ethan went and flicked off the lights, and Benji quickly fell back asleep, Ethan watching over him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk man

Benji met Ethan at the door, back in his familiar clothes. The doctor had given him some care and treatment information, which Ethan was carefully looking over.   
“Ready to go?” Benji started at his voice breaking the semi silence. He realized he was staring and looked down quickly.

“Yeah more than ready.” Benji said, grabbing his bag and heading out the door. Ethan caught up and walked by his side, saying a thank you and goodbye to the nurses at the station.

“I can’t wait to get back to my own bed.” Benji sighed happily as he climbed into the passenger seat. 

The drive was short and quiet, Ethan focusing on what Benji assumed was driving, and Benji thinking about what a mess his apartment must be.

As they pulled up to the building, Ethan suddenly grabbed Benji’s hand. 

“Are you okay, Ethan?” Benji asked slowly. 

“I- Let’s walk up to your apartment.” Ethan let go and climbed out of the car, leaving Benji confused as he followed suit.

They slowly walked up the stairs, Ethan staying close to Benji as he stopped to catch his breath every so often.

Finally they reached his apartment. Benji dug out his key, and opened the door, flinging it openly dramatically. Inside, it was dark and very dusty.

“Home sweet home.” Benji said, stepping inside. Ethan cleared dust off a table and set Benji’s bag down, looking around.

“I’ll help you clean up Benji. It’ll be spic and span in no time.” He promised.

“Thank you, Ethan.” Benji said as he walked about. Ethan watched him closely, obviously mulling something over in his head. 

“Benji, can I-“ Ethan started, and stopped, suddenly. 

“Can you what?” Benji stepped closer, concern on his face.

Instead of an answer, Benji found himself pulled forward, and Ethan’s lips on his own. It was quick, yet Benji felt himself blushing hard as Ethan pulled away.

“Was that okay?” Ethan whispered, inches away from Benji’s face.

“God yes” Benji whispered back before connecting their lips again. They broke apart, breathing heavy.

“I was waiting for you to do that.” Benji admitted. Ethan chuckled.

“I wish you would’ve told me, I would have done it a lot sooner.” Ethan held Benji’s hand as they stood there for a few moments.

“I say we get cleaning, so we can continue this lovely night.” Benji said coyly, pulling away and heading to the closet for supplies. Ethan smiled, pulling him back for another peck.  
“I agree.”


End file.
